


Not Quite A Christmas Miracle

by felineranger



Category: Red Dwarf
Genre: Angst, Christmas Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-23
Updated: 2015-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-08 16:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5504690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felineranger/pseuds/felineranger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Series X era.  Rimmer knows what Lister needs to lift his depression.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Quite A Christmas Miracle

Lister hasn’t left the bunk room in days. Rimmer doesn’t think he’s showered or dressed in that time either. He eats the meals Kryten brings him without looking at them. And he drinks.

Rimmer tells himself it will pass. Lister has these melancholy slumps now and then. The moping won’t last. Every day he tells himself it won’t last. But it does.

Lister needs a distraction. He needs something to focus on. Something to bring him out of himself. It occurs to Rimmer that, in the now slightly meaningless calendar they still occasionally abide by, it must be nearly Christmas. Normally this thought would not be pleasing to him; he doesn’t care much for the whole business. But Lister loves Christmas, and a year has never gone by without him reminding them of the date some weeks in advance and insisting on making much of the season. Yes, this is just what Lister needs.

Rimmer opens up the seldom-used calendar app on the screen (time doesn’t mean much on Red Dwarf anymore) to see how long he has before the festivities start and his companion comes back to life. He stares at the screen for a full minute.

The date is February 5th. Christmas was more than a month ago.

When Lister awakes, tired and hungover, he knows something is different before he knows exactly what it is. The light. The light in the room is different. He sits up and rubs his eyes. There are glowing fairy lights strung around the room. A glittering tree stands in the corner. Rimmer is beside it, meticulously adjusting a strand of tinsel. Lister stares at him. ‘It’s not Christmas’ he says, still sleep-stupid. 'I know’ Rimmer replies calmly. That’s it. No further explanation given.

Part of Lister wants to roll over and go back to sleep, forever. Wants to tell Rimmer that this is dumb, pointless. Meaningless. But the words won’t come out. However phoney, however fake, this scene stirs something within him. For the first time in months, he thinks he remembers what being human is supposed to feel like.

When Rimmer turns around, Lister is standing beside him by the tree. He is holding the sparkly plastic star that goes on the top. Rimmer can see the brilliant jewel-like colours of the fairy lights reflecting in his dark eyes, and the sight is far more magical than the star clutched tightly in Lister’s hands and more wonderful than any star shining outside this ship. 'Can I put the last bit on?’ Lister asks quietly.


End file.
